Pope Leo XIV marked an important step during his visit to the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, calling on teachers to be role models for students. During his visit on April 17, 2026, the Pontiff addressed the institution's leaders and students, emphasizing the importance of truth, memory, and responsibility in education.
In his speech, Pope Leo XIV recalled that the primary vocation of the university is the search for truth, not performance or immediate utility. He insisted that truth is essential for living together and that it prevents societies from sinking into manipulation and violence. The Pope also stressed that faith broadens the horizons of reason and that it is a force of vigilance in a world where technology tends to replace discernment.
Pope Leo XIV called on students not to turn a blind eye to Africa's challenges, such as the violence of extractive logics, the hidden face of the digital revolution, and the environmental damage linked to rare earths. He also warned against the dangers of artificial intelligence, stressing that it structures our perceptions and judgments and that it can lead to the progressive deactivation of discernment.
At the heart of his speech, Pope Leo XIV insisted on the need to train free and holily restless consciences. He called on teachers to be role models of consistency and justice, and he cited Reverend Barthélemy Nyom, former Rector of UCAC, as an example of rigor, integrity, and vision.
Pope Leo XIV recalled that the Catholic University aims at the integral formation of the human person, and not a mere utilitarian reduction of education. He stressed the importance of spiritual accompaniment and humility as the primary virtue, and he insisted that the university is not a market, but a place of human transformation. UCAC, founded in 1989, welcomes more than 2,000 students from six Central African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV called on African students to be pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution, encouraging them to shape the future with wisdom and hope.
